The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-01-07

ABUSING WASHINGTON.
Some of the ScandalOus Charges
Made Against the Father
of His Country.


who has ever acted as the Chief
Executive OF the United States.
At one time be said that he had
been abused worse than Il common
pickpocket, and be was charged
with all sorts OF crimes during his
administration, says the Cleveland
Leader. The Philadelphia Aurora
was, perhaps, the most bitter.
When Washington left the Presi-
dency it had jubilant article over
the close OF his term, in which it
said
''If ever there was a period of
rejoicing this is the moment. Every
heart in unision with the freedom
and happiness of the people ought
to beat high with exultation that
the name of Washington this day
ceased to give currency to polite
al iniquity aud to legalized corrup-
tiou. A MAJ era is now opening
upon us-au era which promises
much to the people; for public
measures must now stand upon their
own merits, and nefarious projects
CAN no longer be supported by Il
name. 1t is subject of the great
est astonlshment that single indf-
vidual should have carried his
designs against the public liberty
so tar as to have put in jeopardy its
very existence. Such, however,
are the facts, and with these staring
us in the lace, this day ought to he
jubilee in the United States"
John Randolph, of Roanoke, at
dinner once proposed the toast:
"George Washington may he be
d-d.p This, however, was too
strong for the company, who were
enemies of Washington, and he had
to add the proviso, "if he signs
jays treaty." before they would
drink to it.
In 1895, GA Calm Observer in
the New York Journal, accused
Washington of being a thief. He
stated that he had overdrawn his
accounts, aud that he owed the
treasury $1,O37. Another writer
accused Washington of hypocrisy
and declared that he wanted to be
u king. A third criticised bis car
riage and his aristOcracy, aIsd, in
fact, all the opposition newspapers
denounced him in unmeasured
terms. Congress went against him
during his second term and refused
to celebrate bis birthday, though
they had been accustomed to do SO,
and when he refused to return tor
a third term they charged that be
could not be elected.
1t will be surprising to the people
to-day to know that Washington
was once charged with murder. It
was during one of his presidential
The Philadelphia AT
r0rG made the charge. 1t stated
that Washington had during one Of
the battles of his early life, shot an
officer who was bearing a flag of
truce, and that in the papers relaJ-
ing 10 the affair he bad acknOwl
edged tue act OF assassination.
Peter Porcupine takes up the
charge in his letters and proves it
to be false. The fact, however,
stands that the charge was made.
Speaking of Washington, | SEE
that some of the goody good news
papers of the country are very in-
at the statement in Quack-
enbO's history that Washington at
one time ate peas with knife. L
DO not doubt but the statement is
true. The whole literary United
States ut the time OF Washington
however, seemed to be a mutual
society, and there is
little unfavorable gossip about the
White House dinners. / found the
other day, however, Maclay's Diary,
giving his experiences during bis
Term as Senator of the United
States when Washington was first
President. Maclay dined with
a number of times,
aud scattered through his diary are
little bits of gossip about these
dinners. At two OF them he de-
scribes = Washington as amusing
during all the dinner by
playing the devils tattoo upon the
table with his fork. He says, speak
ing of one of these dinners: "The
President kept fork in hand when
the cloth was takenaway, thought
for the purpose of picking nnts.
He ate no nuts, but played With
the fork, striking on the edge Of
tbe table With it,